Professor Adam Shoemaker with Kate Roffey & Kylie Watson-Wheeler

Introduction Well, hello. I'm delighted to be here. My name's Adam Shoemaker, and I'm very fortunate to be the vice chancellor of Victoria University, but that is not what this is about. This is about an unprecedented AFL grand final this coming weekend and it's almost upon us in a year which we'll never forget in any way. It seems that history has been made long before the first bounce. In that regard, for the first time, both grand finalists have a female president. As the final siren sounds, one of them will become the second club president to win a flag, joining Richmond's Peggy O'Neill in that elite super club. Victoria University is really proud to have an association with both of these incredible women and it's a privilege to be speaking with both of them today on the eve of the grand final. Kate Roffey is not only the president of Melbourne Football Club, but is a recent member of Victoria University Council and a delightful collaborator on many important things that we're doing together. Kylie Watson-Wheeler is the president of the Western Bulldogs, Victoria University's proud partner for many, many years. We really can't lose with this combination, but thank you both to both of you for being part of this in such a huge week for you, we really appreciate it. And if that's okay, I'd like to start with, if I may, with Kylie. How did you get to be the top dog as it were, the president of this club, Kylie? What's your experience been like leading the Western bulldogs this past year and this past season? Well, I'm a longterm Bulldog supporter, pretty much from birth. My family have always been Bulldog supporters and it's really in my DNA. Around about 10 years ago, I was approached to help out the club, which of course I was more than happy to do so, which led to me being asked to join the board. And I've been on that journey ever since becoming the vice president and then the president last year. It has been such a wonderful journey so far. One that really I can't fault because I have such a wonderful board, such a strong executive, a fantastic staff, and of course an exceptional football department. It's a real honor and a privilege to lead the club. Travel Well, we're delighted you're doing it. Just imagine the travel the club's been up to, Tasmania to Brisbane, Brisbane to Perth, Perth to Adelaide, back to Perth. Have they ever traveled further? Well, it's certainly been a journey this time around there's no question. One of the things that the Bulldogs, we like to do everything the hard way so I think that that has definitely come true this time around, but I'm sure it will all be worth it. Oh, you bet. Well, that's great. Melbourne Football Club Now, if I may ask Kate, you joined Melbourne Football Club in 2013 and still to this day you're the only female board member of that club. Could you tell us about your recent appointment as president and your vision for it? It's such a special club. Yeah. Look, I think when we talk about succession planning a lot, I talk about my succession planning already and I've only just started. It's really important that we know what we're going to do and that we transition. Really I'm a case of, I think right person, right place, right time, as you are so many times in your life. When we wanted to enact our transition, we sat down as a board and we very openly and honestly said, "Who do we think is the person that needs to step up and take us forward?" And my fellow director said, "We think it has to be you." It's not something, funnily enough, that you jump around and go, oh fantastic because they're such big jobs, both Kylie and I work in executive roles elsewhere so these were unpaid roles and the only reason we talk about that is that we have to balance that out with the rest of your life. And so I say, well, let me think about how that impacts because when you take those roles on, you absolutely become a mother hen to 53,000 members in our case. They are very big roles and you do it with the right attitude in terms of, I've got to give my all to this role and that does take a toll in other areas of your life. But having said that, to be the president of an AFL club is totally unique for a start. I come from outside of Victoria and I know when I came here how big the AFL machine is, it's more than a sport here. We talk about it blase and say it's a religion, but there is something very special about AFL in the southern states, in particular Victoria. You know that it's not just governing a board here, it's not just governing an organization, it's so much more. So to be asked to do that and to think that your fellow directors who are all highly skilled in their own right have the confidence in you to actually lead the club forward, really you just don't say, no. I just say, "Well, it's my time to step up," so step up I did and we find ourselves buying for our first premiership flag in 57 years. Well, you both have timed it incredibly well. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing. It sounds like neither of you hesitated when asked. It sounded like, in your case it was just logical and Kylie, in your case too. That's incredibly exciting to think that that talent was there and the timing was right. By contrast if you think of the Western Bulldogs, Kylie, they're one of only two clubs in the competition that have achieved parity in terms of gender at the board level, which is a great thing to aim for. Our own professor, Claire Hanlon, for example, who's the Susan Alberti Women in Sport Chair has spoken at length about the importance of this for the future of Australian sport of all types. I'm really keen to get your view on that then. What do you think, does it make a difference to the board to have the gender equality and how important is it to decision-making that you do? Well, the whole time I've been on the board of the Western Bulldogs, our focus has been around what talents and skills we need on the board and really ensuring that we're putting together a board that has a variety of backgrounds and knowledge and insights to really maximize the opportunity and the governance of the club. And so through that process, it's been a very, very focused and specific process to find the right people for the board, with the right skill sets. And as a result of that organically we found ourselves with 50% women. I think what that demonstrates is how important it is on a board such as ours to really have an open mind when you're looking for what the skill sets are that you need, the background and knowledge rather than gender. Yep. Playing in Perth Yep. Skills everything, isn't it? An ability to step up at the right moment as well, but isn't it great that it's happened in that way, which is just terrific. And one of the things I wanted to observe too, is that we are all looking forward to doing and seeing something where you're both Melbourne based clubs playing in Perth, in Western Australia. How is that going to feel for both of you? Kate, what does it feel like? Yeah, look, we're in lockdown so we don't really know, but I'm certainly speaking to the media enough to say the support over here for AFL anyway, WA is an AFL state, but as minor premiers we had a bit of a choice in terms of where we could set up and play our games and we knew that the Perth supporter would be here. You'd feel that stadium just off the back of this probably being the only time that the AFL grand final will be played over in this city in our lot of times potentially. We did really think a lot about that. As Kylie said, they've traveled everywhere. We've had our team over here for nearly a month away from their families and partners. They haven't seen anyone, their partners and families aren't allowed in. Kylie and I barely got here through exemption, hence the reason we come out of quarantine so late. They've been set up here as their home base, but it's been extraordinarily difficult being away from... A lot of them have young children and babies and the Perth people have been so supportive of this whole experience, the AFL, of our team and it's unique. There's no doubt about that, but you can't opt out of COVID so you just have to go with the flow and really outside of Melbourne, you're probably to get the most excitement for a grand final fever over here in Perth. The supporters have just been extraordinary. Oh, that's such a great thing to hear. Now, of course, all of us have been looking both online, walking around the neighborhood when we're allowed to do our walks, the colors you see in Melbourne are amazing. And of course they're similar in part, there's a bit of red and blue in all of us and a bit of white in some of us, but it's everywhere. I have never seen. There's even art trails now for the Bulldogs, noting all the Bulldogs designs in Footscray and everywhere in the west. Kylie, are you aware of the amount of attention that it's getting back home? Yeah, absolutely. It's clear that our families and supporters embrace this moment in time, of course where they're disappointed that we can't have them at the game and we recognize that people are a feeling really disappointed about that, but we certainly hope that the game itself will bring them immense joy. As you mentioned, Adam, the fact that they are dressing their houses, their fences, their doors is just really wonderful to see the whole Bulldogs family getting behind our playing group from the other side of the country. And I know that the boys are really feeling that. Grand Final Well, I think the primary colors in all the Todman stores have been just run out completely, the red, blue and white all gone. It's just great to see. Now, if you think about it too, just ask you this, Kylie, what do you think would get the bulldogs over the line on grand final day? Is there some special x-factor? Well, something that I'm really proud of of our club and what I think is at the heart of the Western Bulldogs is real doggedness, pardon the pun. But I do think that that really is at our core and really what we truly represent as a club. I really think that tenacity, determination and of course an absolutely unshakable self-belief will get the boys there. What would be the difference Yeah. Well, there's certainly a lot of people believing in their belief too, which is great. But also just to be fair, Kate, asking a similar question, what do you think the Ds will have in the tank to power them across the line? What would be the difference? What their special thing? Yeah. Look, this is a grand final and I asked Paul Roos when I first started on the board, I said, "What does it take to win one?" And he said, "Good lists," well we've both got that, "Good luck with injury," and we've fortunately had that, and he said, "Then it comes down to so many things on the day, the bounce of the ball and the call of the umpire." He said, "You've got to have a bit of that run your way." But I think for us, and so many people have commented to me or asked about this from a cultural perspective, is that selflessness that this team shows. I spoke to Simon Goodman, who's the coach of the year was announced last night, I spoke to him this morning and he clearly said, "I would swap that any day of the week for a premiership with that team," and Clayton Oliver said that same thing about his player of the year coaches award, and all of the players said that about them, all Australian jumpers as well. This team is playing not even for themselves and their teammates anymore they're playing for this club that has for so long suffered so much tragedy. The names that are synonymous with football are some of the great tragedies, the Neale Daniher's who's fighting and MND now. We've got Jimmy Stynes who passed away, we had Norm Smith who was removed from his position when they'd won a premiership, we've got Ronnie Barassi, our '64 players nearing the end of their lives. Our players are playing for the supporters and those people, and it brings a selflessness that I think we've seen throughout the year and it's what has really seen us finish up as minor premiers. They've kept standing up when we've asked them to in the face of adversity, as all teams have done this year and I hope that they, and expect them to do it again on Saturday. A baby born 57 years ago It's every possibility of that happening. And just think about it, a baby born 57 years ago would have never seen the Ds win the premiership. Well, that's not a baby anymore so it's pretty exciting. I wasn't born when we won our last premiership. So many people tell me I was there, I wasn't even born, I was a long way from being born at that point in time. It's been an enormous amount of time and Kylie knows because you were '67, was it when you broke into your first premiership title? How many years was it Kylie? Well 1954 was the last time we'd won the grand final before 2016. The heart of football Look you have a fellow feeling about that, for sure. And as chairs of your clubs, both of you would have that sense of pent up belief that time has now come. Kylie, do you echo that sense of selflessness too? I get that a lot from you about the club. Yeah. There's no question. I think that's the heart of football, when you think everything to do with the way in which our country comes together across all of the different areas of both the business itself or the business side, financial side and the football side as well, there really is that collaboration and work and preparedness to put yourself aside and really leaning to what's best for the club and for the team. Absolutely. I have to say that's something we aspire to in the university too. Conclusion Everybody is, in a sense, a volunteer in that regard, wanting to do more than just the day job, which is where it really comes good. But all I can say is we cannot wait. As children say, it's only a couple of sleeps, it's coming soon, but we're proud to have such great leaders, such powerful dynamic leaders, not only around us in Victoria University, but with us as partners and leading two of the best clubs in the universe. May the best team of course win, but also the best players just relish it and the best crowd enjoy every minute. And what I can say is I'll be cheering for one of the teams, it might have the initials WB, but only by a nose. Thanks very much to both of you. It's great. Thanks, Adam, appreciate it. You bet. Thanks Adam.